With another blast of freezing temps, snow and ice hitting a good swath of the country, and good bit of rain pummeling Atlanta for a few days, how do you possibly bear with being forced to do some cardio indoors? I, for one, hate it. I hate the treadmill, I hate the stationary bike, I hate the stair climber. One of the articles linked below shares some good tips on how to alleviate boredom on the treadmill (many of which also apply to other indoor cardio fun). I’ve come up with a few that help me through:
- Stationary bike: Read a book or magazine. Time flies by, but I’d recommend something easy to read and not trying to tackle Anna Karenina while you peddle away.
- Switch it up! – Bounce from the treadmill, to the bike, to the elliptical, to the stair climber. 5-10 minutes on each is more tolerable, you’ll use a variety of muscles, and before you know it you’ve been at it for 30-45 minutes.
- Switch it up v2! – 10 minutes on cardio then go for a few sets of weights targeting a certain muscle group (i.e. biceps). Back to cardio for a spell, and then on to a different muscle group (i.e. back). I like this because your heartrate is sure to stay elevated the whole time, which generally is a good thing.
- If you’re at the gym, download a movie or TV show to your phone. I personally find it easier to focus on a book rather than a screen, but this works for a lot of people.
Regardless of what you decide, remember doing something is always better than doing nothing. Take care and get moving.